Amazon has expressed readiness to make major investments in Armenia, provided the country can ensure the round-the-clock, stable power supply it requires. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this in an interview, citing a letter received from the Minister of High-Tech Industry.
According to the prime minister, the tech giant requires a 1,000-megawatt power station, which would allow it to implement projects of corresponding scale. Pashinyan, however, did not specify the nature of the project, the exact amount of potential investment, or execution timelines.
Addressing the question of whether this demand could be met through solar energy, the prime minister noted that the company requires uninterrupted 24/7 power. Given this, he emphasized the necessity of constructing a new nuclear power plant, energy storage facilities, and wind farms.
Energy demand from artificial intelligence projects in Armenia already exceeds the country's existing capacity. The prime minister explained that this circumstance drives the government's interest in building a higher-capacity nuclear power plant. While small modular reactors were previously under discussion, a 1,000-megawatt plant is now considered a more logical solution.
Recently, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev presented Russian proposals for a new nuclear power plant in Yerevan. According to Ara Marjanyan, a UN national energy expert, Russia's proposal is currently the most fully developed in engineering and economic terms. The operation of the functioning Metsamor nuclear power plant is planned through 2036, and the deadline for selecting the new technology has been set for the end of 2027.
The prime minister simultaneously stressed that the development of renewable energy remains a priority. The goal is not only to satisfy growing domestic demand, but also to export electricity in the future.
Interest from one of the world's largest tech companies directly demonstrates how critical the issue of energy infrastructure has become for Armenia. The development of artificial intelligence and data centers demands immense, uninterrupted electricity, which is impossible to guarantee with current capacities.
It is precisely in this context that the intensified discussions around building a new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant should be viewed. Shifting the vision from small modular reactors to a high-capacity plant indicates an effort to align energy planning with potential investment demand.
Nevertheless, the primary uncertainty remains the timeline. Selecting the technology for the new nuclear power plant is scheduled by the end of 2027, and its construction and commissioning will take years—meaning that the implementation of major tech investments could face serious time constraints.
